press
[verb]
Synonyms:
- force down, compress, crush, depress, jam, mash, push, squeeze
- hug, clasp, crush, embrace, fold in one's arms, hold close, squeeze
- smooth, flatten, iron
- urge, beg, entreat, exhort, implore, petition, plead, pressurize
- crowd, flock, gather, herd, push, seethe, surge, swarm, throng
[noun]
Synonyms:
- the press: newspapers, Fleet Street, fourth estate, news media, the papers, journalists, columnists, correspondents, newsmen, pressmen, reporters

---

Related Words: propel, shove, thrust, drive, impel, move, compress, squeeze, pack, ram, stuff, tamp, mass, pile, assemble, collect, congregate, gather, force, push

---

English Thesaurus: journalist, reporter, correspondent, columnist, hack, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. press¹ S2 W2 /pres/ noun
[Word Family: adjective: pressed, pressing, pressurized, pressured; verb: press, pressure, pressurize; noun: press, pressure, pressing]

1. NEWS
a) the press [also + plural verb British English] people who write reports for newspapers, radio, or television:
the freedom of the press
The press have been very nasty about him.
b) reports in newspapers and on radio and television:
To judge from the press, the concert was a great success.
press reports
The band has received good press coverage (=the reports written about something in newspapers).
local/national etc press
The story was widely covered in the national press.
tabloid/popular etc press

2. get/be given a bad press to be criticized in the newspapers or on radio or television:
The government's policy on mental health care is getting an increasingly bad press.

3. get/have a good press to be praised in the newspapers or on radio or television:
Our recycling policy is getting a good press.

4. PRINTING [countable]
a) a business that prints and sometimes also sells books:
the Clarendon Press
b) (also printing press) a machine that prints books, newspapers, or magazines

5. MACHINE [countable] a piece of equipment used to put weight on something in order to make it flat or to force liquid out of it:
a trouser press
a flower press

6. PUSH [countable, usually singular] especially British English a light steady push against something small:
Give the button another press.

7. go to press if a newspaper, magazine, or book goes to press, it begins to be printed:
All information was correct at the time we went to press.

8. CROWD [singular + of] especially British English a crowd of people pushing against each other

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. press² S1 W2 verb
[Word Family: adjective: pressed, pressing, pressurized, pressured; verb: press, pressure, pressurize; noun: press, pressure, pressing]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old French; Origin: presser, from Latin pressare, from premere 'to press'; ⇒ print²]

1. AGAINST SOMETHING [transitive always + adverb/preposition] to push something firmly against a surface Synonym : push:
Manville kept his back pressed flat against the wall.
She pressed the gas pedal and the car leapt forwards.
He pressed a card into her hand before leaving.

2. BUTTON [transitive] to push a button, switch etc to make a machine start, a bell ring etc Synonym : push:
Lily pressed the switch and plunged the room into darkness.
Press control, alt, delete to log on to the computer.

3. CLOTHES [transitive] to make clothes smooth using a hot iron Synonym : iron:
I’ll need to press my suit.

4. CROWD [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move in a particular direction by pushing:
The car rocked as the crowd pressed hard against it.

5. PERSUADE [intransitive and transitive] to try hard to persuade someone to do something, especially by asking them many times:
I felt that if I had pressed him he would have lent me the money.
press somebody to do something
The police pressed her to remember all the details.
press somebody for something
The manufacturers are pressing the government for action.
press for
We must continue to press for full equality.
I was pressing my claim for custody of the child.

6. HEAVY WEIGHT [transitive] to put pressure or a weight on something to make it flat, crush it etc:
pressed flowers
At this stage the grapes have to be pressed.

7. HOLD SOMEBODY/SOMETHING CLOSE [transitive] to hold someone or something close to you
press somebody/something to you
He reached out and pressed her to him.

8. press sb’s hand/arm to hold someone’s hand or arm tightly for a short time, to show friendship, sympathy etc:
Sometimes he was too ill to speak, and just pressed my hand.

9. press charges to say officially that someone has done something illegal and must go to court

10. be pressed for time/cash etc to not have enough time, money etc:
a government department that is pressed for both time and money

11. GIVE [transitive] to offer something to someone and try to make them take it
press something on somebody
I pressed money on him, but he refused to take it.

12. EXERCISE [transitive] to push a weight up from your chest using only your arms, without moving your legs or feet

13. press somebody/something into service to persuade someone to help you, or to use something to help you do something because of an unexpected problem or need:
The army was pressed into service to fight the fires.

14. press the flesh to shake hands with a lot of people – used humorously:
The President reached into the crowd to press the flesh.

15. press something home
a) to push something into its place:
Jane slammed the door and pressed the bolt home.
b) to repeat or emphasize something, so that people remember it:
He decided it was time to press his point home.

16. press home your advantage to try to succeed completely, using an advantage that you have gained

17. RECORD [transitive] to make a copy of a record, CD etc
⇒ be hard pressed to do something at hard²(5)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

press
noun
I. media
ADJ. foreign, international, local, national, provincial | gutter, popular, quality, tabloid | financial, music | free A free press is fundamental to democracy.
PRESS + NOUN release, statement He issued a press statement insisting on his innocence.
coverage, report extensive press coverage of the event
cuttings He kept a scrapbook containing press cuttings of his concerts.
officer | photographer | agency | ad, advertisement | campaign | freedom
PREP. in the ~ There was no mention of the incident in the national press.
PHRASES get/have a good/bad, etc. press His latest novel didn't get a very good press (= was not praised in the media).

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

press
II. machine for printing
ADJ. printing
VERB + PRESS go to The newspaper goes to press at 6 o'clock.
PRESS + VERB roll The presses are already rolling.
PREP. in ~ Their new book is in press.
PHRASES hot off the press We've just received a copy of her latest book, hot off the press.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

press
verb
I. push sth firmly
ADV. firmly, hard She pressed down hard on the gas pedal.
gently, lightly | close/closely He pressed up closer against the wall, terrified of being seen.
back, down, forward, together, up The crowd pressed forward. She pressed her lips together.
PREP. against She pressed her face against the window.
into Bella pressed her face into the pillow.
on She pressed on the doorbell.
to He pressed a finger gently to her lips.
PHRASES press sth flat/open/shut He pressed the lid firmly shut.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

press
II. try to persuade sb
ADV. strongly In the interview he strongly pressed his point of view.
consistently, continually, repeatedly | further | successfully
VERB + PRESS continue to
PREP. for The party will continue to press the case for a new electoral system.
on I did not press him further on the issue.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

press
III. iron sth
PHRASES immaculately/neatly pressed his immaculately pressed suit
PHRASAL VERBS press on
ADV. blindly | boldly
PREP. with They pressed boldly on with their plan.
PHRASES press on regardless The weather was dreadful but we pressed on regardless.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

press

the national press
There was very little about the incident in the national press.
the local press
Evening classes are advertised in the local press.
the British/American etc press
The British press have blamed other countries for North Sea pollution.
the foreign press
African countries want the foreign press to report African affairs.
the quality press (=newspapers intended for educated people)
The book received excellent reviews in the quality press.
the tabloid/popular press (=popular newspapers that have a lot of news about famous people etc, rather than serious news)
He regularly appeared in the tabloid press alongside well-known actresses.
the gutter press British English (=newspapers that print shocking stories about people’s private lives)
The gutter press enjoyed printing the sensational story.
a free press (=reporters whose reports are not restricted by the government)
I am glad that we have a free press in this country.
talk/speak to the press
He is reluctant to talk to the press.
tell the press something
‘It was a really tough decision,’ she told the press.
leak something to the press (=give them secret information in an unofficial way)
The confidential report was leaked to the press.
press reports
According to press reports, he was suffering from exhaustion.
press coverage (=articles in newspapers)
The event received a lot of press coverage.
a press photographer
A group of press photographers was waiting for her outside.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

journalist someone who writes for a newspaper or magazine:
She worked as a journalist on the New York Times.
I've always wanted to be a journalist.
reporter someone whose job is to find out about news stories and ask questions for a newspaper, television or radio company etc:
A crowd of reporters were waiting outside the house all night.
He told reporters that he had no intention of resigning.
correspondent someone who writes news articles or does reports about a particular subject, especially a serious one, for a newspaper or news organization:
our economics correspondent
a war correspondent
He was the BBC's correspondent in Moscow.
columnist someone who writes articles, especially about a particular subject, that appear regularly in a newspaper or magazine:
an influential financial columnist
a gossip columnist
hack informal a disapproving word for a journalist, especially one whose work is of low quality:
The editor sent one of his hacks to interview the murderer’s girlfriend.
newsman/woman (also newspaperman/woman) a general word for someone who works for a newspaper, especially a reporter or editor:
an experienced newspaperman
the press newspapers and journalists in general:
The press always like a good story about the royal family.
the right-wing press
Fleet Street the British press. This phrase comes from the street in London, where many newspapers used to have their offices:
Relations between the government and Fleet Street aren't as cosy as they once were.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

newspaper:
The New York Times is a popular daily newspaper.
paper a newspaper. Paper is more common than newspaper in everyday English:
There was an interesting article in the local paper today.
the Sunday papers
the press newspapers and news magazines in general, and the people who write for them:
the freedom of the press
The press are always interested in stories about the royal family.
the media newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and the Internet, considered as a group that provides news and information:
This issue has received a lot of attention in the media.
Her public image was shaped by the media.
tabloid a newspaper that has small pages, a lot of photographs, short stories, and not much serious news:
The tabloids are full of stories about her and her boyfriend.
broadsheet British English a serious newspaper printed on large sheets of paper, with news about politics, finance, and foreign affairs:
the quality broadsheets
the nationals the newspapers that give news about the whole country where they are printed, in contrast to local newspapers:
The results of the nationwide survey became headlines in the nationals.
the dailies the daily newspapers:
The dailies reported the story.
article a piece of writing in a newspaper about a particular subject:
an article on the education reforms
report a piece of writing in a newspaper about an event:
newspaper reports on the war
story a report in a newspaper about an event, especially one that is not very serious or reliable:
You can’t always believe what you read in newspaper stories.
a headline the title of an important newspaper article, printed in large letters above the article. The headlines are the titles of the most important stories on the front page:
The singer’s drug problem has been constantly in the headlines.
front page the page on the front of a newspaper which has the most important news stories:
The story was all over the front page.
section/pages the pages in a newspaper dealing with a particular area of news such as sports, business, or entertainment:
the financial pages of The Times
the arts section
editorial the page of a newspaper on which the editor of a newspaper and other people express their opinions about the news, rather than just giving facts:
an editorial on the vaccination programme
column an article on a particular subject or by a particular writer that appears regularly:
his weekly column on gardening

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

press to push something down or against a surface with your fingers or foot:
The doctor gently pressed her stomach.
To move forward, press the accelerator.
I pressed ‘delete’ and started again.
squeeze to press something inwards from both sides:
It’s one of those balls that make a funny noise when you squeeze it.
Squeeze the lemon and add the juice to the sauce.
squash to press something against a surface accidentally and damage it by making it flat:
Don’t squash the tomatoes.
He sat on my hat and squashed it.
crush to press something very hard so that it breaks into very small pieces, or is very badly damaged:
Crush two cloves of garlic.
The front of the car was completely crushed in the crash.
mash to press cooked vegetables or fruit until they are soft and smooth:
Mash the potatoes while they are warm.
Babies love mashed bananas.
grind to press something solid until it becomes a powder, using a machine or tool:
the machine that grinds the corn
freshly ground coffee

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲